Iwata handled N64 Smash Bros. programming alone

It’s enough to raise a rosy glow. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has been picking over the bones of his past in the latest of his official interviews, reminiscing on the time has single-handedly coded Super Smash Bros. for N64 in 1999.

“At that point in time, we weren’t utilizing any Nintendo characters, and while you handled the planning, specs, design, modeling and movement, I worked on programming all by myself,” he said, the “you” in question being Super Smash Bros. Brawl director Masahiro Sakurai. “In some respects, it was the ultimate handcrafted project.”

Things have changed a bit since then. Now Iwata owns global video games and Super Smash Bros. Brawl is enough to bring grown men to their knees. Funny how things turn out.